1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to floor and wall coverings for stalls occupied by livestock such as cattle and horses, and domestic animals such as dogs and cats.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,646 describes bedding for livestock and domestic animals in which a relatively thick resilient polyurethane foam is fully enveloped by a relatively thin polyvinylchloride layer reinforced with a polyethylene terephthalate web. Experience with foamed floor coverings topped with a polyvinylchloride layer has shown this polymer to be incapable of providing service for extended periods, especially where large, physically vigorous animals such as horses are concerned. After only a few months of use, the polyvinylchloride tends to become abraded to the point where portions of the underlying foam layer are exposed. The attendant loss of hygienic protection in floor coverings of this type presents yet another significant drawback to their practical use in animal care facilities. U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,844 describes an animal stall mat in which a hard polymer layer, preferably a polyurethane, containing a lightweight filler such as glass microbubbles, is adhered to a rubbery polyurethane layer polymerized in situ. While thermosetting polyurethanes generally possess excellent abrasion resistance properties, they are expensive as resin materials go and their fabrication into smooth-surfaced laminates is accomplished only with a relatively high level of complexity and labor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,540 describes a coated flexible substrate, said to be useful as a decorative roof for an automobile, which includes a top layer of an ionomer resin of 10-40 mils in thickness adhered to a foamed polyolefin resin of 1-100 mils thick. The foregoing flexible substrate is far too thin even at its maximum thickness to offer even marginal utility as an animal floor and wall covering medium.
Accordingly, there has heretofore existed a need for an inexpensive, readily fabricated animal stall floor and wall covering which is able to sustain the abrasive effects of animals' hooves even after several years of regular use.